Today marks the 23rd anniversary of that fateful day in 1984 when I began collecting the lint from my navel each day. I’m still collecting it, and still hold the record for the world’s largest collection.

The main collection is sealed and stored in a safe place, with my daily harvesting being added to a separate small container. In recognition of my collection’s birthday I have transferred the past year’s lint from the small container to the main collection, together with the lint from the tiny container I carry while travelling. An updated photo of the collection is now on the Navel Fluff page.

This small container I add to each day (pictured) is noteworthy. Just when I thought everything that could be made from clay had been made, this turns up! It was very kindly sent to me by Brenda Beasley of South Carolina, who is herself a collector (of statues of liberty and related paraphernalia; see her website). It’s perfect for storing tiny balls of lint - I wonder if its makers ever imagined it would be used in gathering the world’s largest navel lint collection.

Anyone familiar with my daily habit of collecting my navel lint may be wondering if this habit continues when I’m travelling, and away from my collection.

On reflection, I don’t suppose anyone has thought about it, but I’ll provide some reassurance anyway. I have a very tiny plastic container, the width of a little finger, which I keep in my toiletries bag. When away from home - even if camping - I routinely store my navel’s lint in this container, then transfer it to the main collection when I get home. This ensures the collection remains complete, which can only enhance its value. So now you know!